Teaching Kids Balance in a Fun Way

One of the hardest lessons that a child will learn is to balance. It is something that many of them do not achieve learning well enough to sit on their own for the first several months of their lives. Then it takes more practice for them to learn how to stand on two feet and eventually take those first few wobbly steps. It is even more challenging if you want your child to participate in sports or gymnastics where they must have a full understanding of balance. You can help them to learn by teaching kids balance in a fun way.

Why Balance Is Important

Balance is something that is required for our bodies to move around. It is important for that toddler learning to walk and it is important for adults who have things to do. Without a good sense of balance, you wouldn’t be able to stand up, walk forward, or climb steps. You wouldn’t even be able to sit upright without it. It is also something that we must continue to use or as we age, we may lose the ability to keep our balance.

Balance and Sports or Gymnastics

When you add in a love of sports, balance can become a very complex issue. Think of a football player who is punting the ball. If that player does not have a good sense of balance, he will not be able to kick the ball with one foot while standing on the other. A baseball player may not be able to swing or look up to catch a ball if he is feeling off center. A ballerina cannot twirl, a gymnast cannot flip, and even a golfer may not be able to assume the proper stance if he is unbalanced.

Teaching Balance Can Be Fun

When teaching your children to be better balanced and encourage them to constantly improve it, keeping it fun will be very important. There are some very fun techniques that you can use with your kids to teach them balance and about their center of gravity. One idea is a pillow path. You can encourage your child to walk across pillows that are laid out around your home. Some may be close together and others may be further apart. They may also be different shapes and sizes. Each step will be a challenge to your child, but it will be fun enough to keep them entertained for quite a while. Hopscotch is also a great way to teach balance since kids have to jump using one leg at times. The box balance game is a game that is similar to Twister, but instead of circles on a floor, your child will put their feet or hands into different colored boxes that have been taped together. As your child progresses in their abilities, you can upgrade from a garden hose “tightrope” to something that is higher off the ground or even purchase an electric standing scooter from Scooter Smarter. A self balancing board allows children to utilize their core for balance. Most importantly, this will be more than likely be seen as fun by children as opposed merely practice. By providing children an interactive way to hone their skills, they are more likely to spend more time doing so. No matter what type of activities you encourage your child to take part in, you are teaching them things that will make balancing easier.